Born around 8:78 Blessed as a Freeman, @Loghain Mac Tirwas the son of a farmholder from Oswin in the western Bannorn, Gareth of Oswin.
While still a child, Loghain and his family found a female Mabari pup in their woodshed one night. The pup, which Loghain called Adalla, soon came to be a valued part of the family, with Loghain's mother even calling it a gift from the Maker. They were however unable to find out its true origins.
For over ten years, Adalla would loyally stay by Loghain's side. After the Orlesian invasion however, an Orlesian lordling took an interest in the dog, wanting to breed Adalla with the game hounds from Orlais. Despite his attempts to resist, Loghain was powerless to stop the lordling from taking Adalla. The dog was later returned to Loghain's family over six months after, when the lordling pushed her out of his wagon. By then, Adalla was practically skin and bones, with scars from where the hounds' collars had bit into. Adalla only lived for a week afterward, dying in the arms of Loghain himself, who believed that she had held on for their sake and, despite everything, had died happy.
At some point, the Emperor declared a tribute tax from all of the @Ferelden Freemen. Loghain's father refused to pay the tax collectors, and, as a result, was accused of tax evasion and lost the farmhold.
The family resisted, but the Orlesian soldiers bested them, forcing Loghain and his father to watch as they abused and killed Loghain's mother. Gareth was nowhere to be found for the next three days. When he finally returned, he informed his son that he had murdered the Orlesian commander responsible. Unable to stay in Oswin, they lived on the run in the @Ferelden wilds, banding together with other desperate Fereldan's to eke out a living however they could. Sister Ailis became notable for helping lead the camp, and Loghain would grow to respect her authority as practically equal to his father's.
While living with the outlaws, Loghain met Maric, though he was not initially aware of Maric's royal blood. When the Orlesian forces caught up with them, Gareth charged his son with saving the Prince. Loghain eventually managed to escort Maric to Arl Rendorn Guerrin and later joined the rebel army. He became one of Maric's closest friends, as well as a key military advisor of the rebel cause. His strategies, and his creation of the guerrilla Night Elves, were responsible for many of the rebels' greatest victories.
Over the course of the rebellion, Loghain fell in love with Rowan Guerrin, who was betrothed to Maric and thus the future queen. After Maric fell in love with Katriel, Rowan and Loghain formed a romantic relationship. Both relationships were short-lived, however; Loghain discovered and revealed to Maric that Katriel was a spy, which resulted in her death. After this, Loghain encouraged Rowan to marry Maric to assist him and guide Ferelden as queen. Afterwards Loghain led the @Fereldan forces at the critical Battle of River Dane and was rewarded for his leadership by being made Teyrn of Gwaren.
After the battle, Loghain sought out potential survivors from the outlaw camp, seeking to find any trace of his father. Loghain finally reunited with Ailis at a hospice inside the Korcari Wilds. In a rare display of emotion, Loghain swept her up in his arms and rejoiced at the event. Afterwards, Ailis took him to a hill where she had spread his father's ashes. There, the two wept and mourned over Gareth and all the others who had perished in the camp, with Loghain begging forgiveness from Ailis.
Despite his encouragement of their relationship, Loghain's own relationship with both Maric and Rowan became strained. After the marriage, he rarely spent time in their company. Occasionally, Maric would visit Gwaren presumably to meet with Loghain, but it was usually without Rowan's accompaniment. After Rowan's death, Ailis sent a message to Loghain. He arrived and spent hours behind closed doors with Maric. When the two emerged, together they mourned over the resting place of Rowan's remains.
In 9:1 Dragon, Luis, the youngest son of Lord Aurelien of Montsimmard, met Loghain in battle at Avinash. Luis lost his estoc early on in the fighting and was separated from his men. He ended up on the field facing down Loghain himself armed only with the Summer Sword—which he had never before drawn. Loghain made short work of the pompous chevalier and took the greatsword as a trophy.
After the end of the war against the Orlesians, King Maric gave Loghain the vacant teyrnir of Gwaren in order to elevate him to nobility. This gift came with some significant drawbacks: Gwaren had suffered under Orlesian rule for years and was in a state of serious disrepair; as no Orlesian governor had wanted to reside in Gwaren due to its remote location, the castle was nearly in ruins. Upon arriving in Gwaren for the first time since its liberation, Loghain took one look at his new home and gave it up for lost, choosing to live inside a tent pitched in the middle of the courtyard while seeing to the harbor's repairs.
After a month, the people of Gwaren sent a representative to speak with Loghain, wondering whether he was going to abandon the keep and the village as had their previous lords. The representative they sent was Celia, who came from a long line of cabinet-makers and had little tolerance for those who neglected to care for their furniture. Her meeting with Loghain quickly turned into a shouting match; in the end, she reminded him that he wouldn't be teyrn of anything unless his freeholders swore fealty to him, which they wouldn't do if he left Castle Gwaren crumbling and empty. Loghain reluctantly followed her advice, appointing Celia to supervise the keep's repairs. He asked her to marry him two months later, and she accepted.
In the first years of Maric's reign, Loghain spent most of his time in Denerim while his wife ruled Gwaren. Teyrna Celia was an incomparable foreman, and the teyrnir rebuilt itself under her guidance. Due to his long absences, Loghain started taking his young daughter Anora to court with him in 9:10 Dragon.
In the years after the death of Queen Rowan, Loghain supported King Maric. Duncan observed that Loghain seemed to be the true ruler.
When King Maric Theirin disappeared at sea while en route to Wycome in 9:25 Dragon, Teyrn Loghain spent almost two years searching for his lost friend, consuming much of the royal treasury and the majority of the Fereldan navy. The search was futile, and when Loghain claimed that Orlais had purposefully sunk King Maric's vessel in order to prevent Marcher unity, he was called off by his daughter, Queen Anora Theirin, and a united Bannorn. It was time to mourn the king, they said, and so, in 9:27 Dragon, a massive state funeral was held in Denerim's chantry.
King Maric's death and Anora's marriage to King Cailan Theirin put an end to Loghain's visits to Denerim for a time.
Past victories over the @Darkspawn had made King Cailan Theirin over-confident to the point where Cailan began to doubt if Ferelden was even facing a real Blight. Loghain seemed to believe that Cailan relied too heavily on the Grey Wardens and thought them untrustworthy. Some thought King Cailan had a delusional fixation with the Grey Wardens and their legendary reputation; even the Warden-Commander Duncan admitted that Cailan believed fighting with the few Fereldan Grey Wardens made Cailan feel invulnerable. Loghain also deplored Cailan's idea of joining forces with Orlesian reinforcements, which were en route; Loghain called the idea a "fool notion" and a threat to Ferelden's independence. Since Loghain wouldn't permit them to wait for Orlesian reinforcements, Cailan insisted that they defend Ostagar with the forces they had at hand.
As the Teyrn commanding the army, Loghain was responsible for devising the tactics that would be used in the Battle of Ostagar. Loghain's plan utilized the anvil and hammer strategy; the Grey Wardens were to act as the anvil, drawing the main body of darkspawn, and Loghain's troops would flank the darkspawn once the beacon is lit.
Although Loghain advised him not to fight on the front lines, King Cailan Theirin refused and insisted on accompanying the Wardens. Cailan also insisyts on having the newest Grey Warden, @Alistair Theirin, light the beacon; Loghain and Uldred disagreed, but acquiesced to the king's desire in the end. Despite a darkspawn attack on the beacon tower, @Alistair Theirin eventually managed to light the beacon; however, on seeing the lit beacon, Loghain ordered his troops to retreat—leaving King Cailan, a sizable portion of the @Fereldan army, and the Grey Wardens to die.
After the battle at Ostagar, he declares the Grey Wardens traitors and placed a bounty on their heads. He also declared himself regent for his daughter, Queen @Anora Theirin, and demanded all of @Ferelden unite under him so they could sensibly fight the darkspawn while also protect the country from Orlesian invasion. This was not met with approval from the Bannorn, and civil war ensued.
With Arl @Rendon Howe as his main advisor, Loghain took drastic measures to secure @Ferelden — such as allowing elves to be sold into slavery, employing the apostate @Jowan to poison Arl @Eamon Guerrin, soliciting the Circle mages for their allegiance in exchange for promises of greater freedoms, imprisoned and tortured prominent individuals that could become political liabilities to him, and hiring @Zevran Arainai, an @Antivan Crow, to assassinate the remaining Grey Wardens.
He refused all Orlesian reinforcements, not believing Empress Celene's intentions were honest. Neither Howe nor Anora can convince him otherwise. Rumours circulate that the reason he abandoned Cailan at Ostagar was so Loghain could seize the @Fereldan throne for himself; while others thought King Cailan was goaded by the @The Grey Wardens into a suicidal battle that got himself killed and Loghain was forced to abandon him when he realized the battle was a lost cause.